Trade Printers: Same Trade, New Solutions

At the tail end of last year, Print Monthly interviewed general manager of the Independent Print Industries Association (IPIA), Brendan Perring, at the IPIA’s Recognising Excellence event. In the conversation, Perring emphasised how the industry is evolving, and how print businesses are changing to meet market demands.

Perring said: “We see a massive trend for diversification being necessary, whether that’s getting into display printing, wide-format, or web-to-print, but also it’s important to focus on your strengths in-house and use trade service providers to buy and sell more products in order to say yes to your customers.”

When asked his recommendations to improve business growth, Perring pointed to looking at profitable parts of the business and utilising trade printers as much as possible, the latter of which he thinks could be the backbone of the industry in the future. He said this would allow businesses to take higher margins of profit, instead of doing work at cost. “The trade printers are your friends – use them, build connections with them, diversify, and grow your product portfolio, without taking on the overhead yourself,” added Perring.

With this advice in mind, as well as the many growing and expanding trade printers in the industry, we speak to businesses that service the trade to see what they can offer print service providers (PSPs) and beyond.

More Than Just Print

As mentioned, diversification has been identified as a major theme within the industry over the past few years, which has led many trade printers to offer more products and services. This is an aspect recognised by Bishops Printers, a B2 commercial printer based in Portsmouth.

Michelle Pearce, commercial director at the company, says: “Trade customers are increasingly looking for more than just print. They want partners who are proactive, who spot opportunities to help them win and retain work, and who won’t disappear when things don’t go to plan. They expect the speed and price points of an online service, but with the added value of real human support.”

Pearce says that Bishops is continuing to invest in automation, reporting, and environmentally responsible production in order to support customers with what they need. “Ultimately, it’s about being easy to work with, helping our trade clients grow, and staying one step ahead of what they’ll need next,” she adds.

Working at Bishops Printers has given Pearce vast knowledge of the industry, especially due to her working across multiple departments like finance, sales, and marketing. This knowledge and experience is something that is extremely useful to clients who often have to focus efforts on customer satisfaction and winning new clients.

Speaking about the business, Pearce says: “While litho is at the core of what we do, our investment in digital over the past decade means we’re now equally capable across a broad range of run lengths and turnaround times. We’re known for being dependable – delivering high-quality print on time and on budget, whether it’s a short-run digital project or a high-volume litho job. That reliability is something we take pride in and plan to build on further as we continue to invest and evolve.”

While Bishops classes itself as predominantly as a trade printer, the business does work directly with clients such as football clubs and publishers for which relationships have been built over many years. Pearce says that the business has leaned much more towards trade partners over the years due to the trust, consistency, and regularity which has been established with them.

Just as Bishops has moved more and more into digital print solutions, a company that has shown the increasing popularity of wide-format print is Venture Banners, an Essex-based trade-only supplier of display solutions.

Scott Conway, sales and marketing director at Venture Banners, explains: “When we started out as a small operation in 2009 we had the simple but ambitious goal of making large-format print accessible to every business in the print industry. Naturally, that necessitated offering a trade-only service. Today, we remain true to our founding goal of offering customers excellent service and transparent pricing that enables them to grow their businesses by tapping into opportunities in large-format print.”

Conway says that printers come to Venture Banners for a variety of reasons, including high street printers who do not have the space for large equipment, or commercial print businesses who want to increase their service offering without a heavy capital outlay. Conway also uses the examples of businesses who want to provide a new offering to long-standing customers, or design studios with added-value print services.

When it comes to what Venture Banners is expanding on, Conway says: “The trade-only space typically reflects wider trends across the industry, and unsurprisingly, we’ve seen demand for textile-based signage and banners grow significantly over the past few years as the sustainability, reusability, transportability, and other benefits of these materials have become more widely recognised.

“One of our most in-demand textile products is our stretch fabric walls, which says a lot about the factors that are driving demand for textile. Very popular for events and exhibitions, but also in co-working spaces – they’re simple to put up, light, and easy to transport, and can instantly brand a space in a really impactful way.”

One element that Conway stresses is important for those moving into large-format work is checking artwork for hidden issues such as overprinting, low resolution images, and keylines. “Make sure you get your artwork right, check what you’re ordering, think about your customer’s use case, and don’t be scared to ask questions,” says Conway, clarifying: “That may sound simplistic, but if you think about all the times orders don’t come out as they should, it’s usually down to something pretty simple.”

Distinct Channels

Many trade printers have made sure to innovate and develop easier ways for customers to engage with sales channels in the last few years. Solopress, an online printer which serves B2C clients, SMEs, large organisations, and print resellers, has made several changes to its structure in the past five years.

When it comes to how it has adapted to better serve its customers, Solopress says: “In recent years we’ve built distinct channels tailored to trade needs: Solopro for high-volume clients, Soloflo for integrated API ordering, and Brand Central for brand-managed portals. Soloflo allows clients to integrate ordering directly into their own systems, while Brand Central provides branded print portals for organisations with multiple users or locations.

“Each is designed to remove friction, add flexibility, and specifically serve higher volume, higher frequency buyers.”

Jane Wickens, head of marketing at Solopress, says that Solopro has been built to serve traditional trade customers and those with a high annual spend on print. “It’s clear that customers at that level have specific needs, meaning a focused service is better placed to provide bespoke products, flexible pricing, credit terms, and account management with proper print expertise,” adds Wickens.

When it comes to how the trade-only space will evolve, and how products and services continue to expand, Wickens comments: “Advances in automation and AI make it quicker and more practical for trade printers to offer tailored procurement solutions, whether that’s through APIs, templated artwork, or portal-based ordering. That’s certainly a major area of focus for Solopress – using emerging technology to offer the flexibility and responsiveness that enables trade customers to move quickly, offer more, and achieve growth without overextending on capital investment.”

Don’t be put off by preconceptions around costs, logistics, or lead times. Any trade supplier worth their salt will have measures in place to make procurement cost-effective, pain free, and efficient

Alongside developing solutions such as Brand Central, Solopress is also ensuring that Soloflo is made as simple as possible, improving setup processes and pricing management. “The aim is to remove as many barriers as possible, so trade customers can simply push a button and orders flow from end users through to Solopress printers,” explains Wickens.

Her advice for those thinking about how to work with a company like Solopress is to not be hesitant in the first instance. “Don’t be put off by preconceptions around costs, logistics, or lead times. Any trade supplier worth their salt will have measures in place to make procurement cost-effective, pain free, and efficient. Research what different suppliers offer, and once you’re working together, make full use of the support available.”

When it comes to working effectively with trade printers, another company that has weighed in is Tradeprint, a UK-based white-label print provider based in Dundee, Scotland. Sustainability lead and sales director at Tradeprint, Anthony Rowell, advises: “Be clear and upfront about your expectations and always provide detailed specifications. Good communication is key to a successful partnership – especially when turnaround times are tight. Also choose a supplier who shares your values and is transparent in how they operate.”

For how Tradeprint is adapting to customers needs, Rowell says the company developed its Tradeprint PRO rewards scheme to support print professionals like resellers, managers, marketing agencies, and more. Rowell clarifies: “Members enjoy exclusive product discounts (up to 25%), can earn up to 15% in monthly credit rewards, and receive free express upgrades.

“The programme features multiple membership tiers, with higher tiers offering greater benefits based on a company’s spend and job numbers. Additional perks include a personalised dashboard, account reviews, access to PRO tools, and special events. There is no joining fee, and you can sign up by completing a simple online application form. Once approved, you can start benefiting from all the rewards right away.”

As evident by many of the companies featured in this article, connections and relationships are crucial for keeping a trade partnership alive, with Rowell saying that “the strength of the print industry lies in collaboration.” Alongside building these connections, Tradeprint says it is investing heavily in equipment, systems, sustainability, and services in order to be a dependable and supportive trade partner. The company’s expansion plans can be seen by its recent strategic move to expand operations into the Republic of Ireland, which was done in response to market demand from the region.

Personal Touch

An important factor already raised by those we have spoken to is building a good relationship with your trade printer. This is an element that is highlighted by Where the Trade Buys (WTTB) which, as the name suggests, is a trade printer for the industry, working in partnership with Precision Proco to produce a range of printed products and materials.

Louise Stephenson, managing director at WTTB, points to Michaelle Batey, who leads onboarding at the company, as an example of someone who works with clients constantly to ensure they are supported as much as possible. “She guides every new customer personally, answers questions before they even ask them, and makes the whole process feel effortless. That kind of early support gives customers the confidence to scale,” says Stephenson.

“Earlier this year, we launched the first phase of our new re-platformed website,” adds Stephenson, who explains: “Like anything built to last, it came with a few rough edges, but we stayed close to it, and even closer to the people using it. Our customers told us what needed improving, so we sharpened the details, rebuilt where it mattered, and refined the flow. This is not because anything failed, but because real craftsmanship means refining as you go, guided by feedback, and sharpened through use.”

With all this in mind, Stephenson brings up the increasing use of AI in the industry and how customers need to think about how it can support their operations and customer experience. “Human expertise still matters, more than ever. When you’re under pressure, it’s not AI that fixes a misaligned file, calms a nervous customer, or makes a judgment call that saves a job. It’s people who’ve lived and breathed this industry. Our team brings a depth of knowledge you can’t replicate.”

Highlighting staff at the company, Stephenson points out: “Marketing director Emma Thompson started on the press floor over 30 years ago. Jen Allen has been supporting trade customers for over 18 years. Chris Henderson brings more than three decades of UX and design experience to every touchpoint. We’re also evolving as a brand, and you’ll soon start to see more of what makes WTTB different reflected in how we speak, design, and support our customers.”

When it comes to products, WTTB says it is expanding but with intention, ensuring that it homes in on what it does best in order to not be another ‘jack of all trades’ supplier. “We want to be best in class at what we know best, and books are a perfect example of that. We believe quality over quantity wins every time, and our customers value that clarity,” comments Stephenson.

Like other trade printers, WTTB has also recently launched a reward scheme in order for businesses to access discounts, cashback credits, and exclusive perks. The company says that new users get 15% off for 30 days while its ‘Silver Tier’ gives customers benefits from day one.

Similarly, Route 1, a trade printer which is part of Bluetree Group, has launched its Loyalty and Rewards scheme to deliver greater value to its customers. The programme has been developed with Propello, which has worked with businesses like JD Gyms and HelloFresh, and offers customers the opportunity to earn up to 10% off their purchases for an entire month based on their previous month’s spending.

Describing the business’ offering, Jack Parks, head of Route 1 Print, says: “Our carefully curated product range includes everything from everyday essentials like flyers and business stationery, to innovative products driven by industry trends like our recent expansion into large-format. We’ve recently invested more than £8m into our factory, including a second Landa S11P and three new EFI Vutek large-format printers.”

Parks sympathises with printers who may be juggling in-house production as well as growing a business, saying that trade printers ‘really shine’ when running large equipment that is not always beneficial for resellers to operate themselves. “We like to think of ourselves at Route 1 Print as an extension of our resellers’ own teams, ready to take on the jobs that aren’t feasible (or profitable) to handle internally,” adds Parks. “Our factory is your factory. This way, resellers stay in control, their clients stay happy, and their bottom line stays healthy. No pressure, just support, whenever they need it.”

Parks says that the trade-only space is constantly evolving and that Route 1 is a part of that, ensuring that it streamlines many of its offerings in order to enhance online ordering and automate artwork checks. “As demand grows for speed, flexibility, and efficiency, we’re right there expanding our services, evolving our product range, and finding new ways to help resellers stay ahead of the curve.”

Our factory is your factory. This way, resellers stay in control, their clients stay happy, and their bottom line stays healthy

When it comes to growing areas, Parks comments: “Large-format printing, in particular, is seeing a surge as resellers look for faster, more cost-effective ways to deliver bold, high-impact visuals. Our recent £8m investment in new technology is already helping resellers do just that, offering bigger, better, and quicker print solutions. But we’re not stopping there. We’ve just launched new paper bags and we’re in the process of expanding our stickers range. At Route 1 Print, we’re scaling up our capabilities to meet growing demand with top-tier quality and lightning-fast turnarounds.”

From WTTB to Route 1 Print, Bishops Printers to Solopress, Tradeprint to Venture Banners, the themes and benefits of trade print services are clear – as technology evolves, and the demands of customers change, so too does the need for a reliable trade partner. The decision is now yours for how much you utilise these options.